Jewelweed in PT soap

[Saltwater Scented]

One month of soaping, and it's a fun little journey so far. Whipped up 17 different batches and 2 or 3 have really been supremely inspiring in developing...new and creative combinations of profanity. Mostly that has been due to FO's not behaving like reviews said they would, not having an established set of recipes, running at temps that would accelerate trace, etc etc...All the fun stuff that comes along with a new endeavor like this.

I did get one nasty little booger of an FO tamed quite nicely by running room temp oils, slightly chilled lye solution, using a higher ratio of water to lye which was plugged into SoapMakingFriend of course, and using a whisk attachment on my SB at the lowest setting of the normal speed. The first time I tried the FO, it seized up almost immediately, whereas this time I was able to pour 6 individual bars.

That said, I was looking up oily skin soaps since I have two nephews who are hitting their teen years. One already has some issues and my sister asked if I knew anything about it. Did a fair bit of reading here about what Sinful7 did with her recipe and the effects in the "Wonderful Pine tar Soaps!" thread from 2014. Sent my sister a recommendation to go hunting for pine tar soaps and she's bought a few from established soapers in Texas. No word if she's received them as of yet. I also let her know to look for neem oil soaps and such.

That did create an itch though. It's pretty obvious that pine tar needs love and attention like no other. Spatula hand mix only, and once that dull look appears on the surface get it in the mold, pronto. Have everything ready to go right there with you. I have more notes on it that don't need to be rehashed here.

Now for all my research, I cannot find a usage rate mentioned for the jewelweed extract into the PT soap. I have this nice little quart can of Auson Dalbrand Tratjara sitting on my counter, thanks DeeAnna for your experiments with that. It does have a nice deep earthy camp fire smell to it, kind of like smoldering wet cedar (juniper) trees.

Can anyone enlighten me on what range of usage rates for the jewelweed I would put into a PT soap? I'd like to whip up a batch both with and without JW, and let it sit long enough to see if I can make some for the nephews in a year or so from now.

Recipe I cobbled together looks like this:

O/O: 30%
Cocoa Butter: 25%
CO: 15%
PT: 15%
PO: 10%
Castor: 5%

Palmitic 17
Stearic 10
Oleic 35

 

[DeeAnna]

Seems like it's been a long time since jewelweed last came up in the conversation.

The jewelweed sold as a dried herb and in extracts is a European plant that isn't the same as the jewelweed that's native to North America. The European version isn't reputed to have any benefit for treating poison ivy and or other skin issues. If you want to use it, just be aware it probably offers more of a placebo effect than a measurable benefit.

As far as North American jewelweed, I am fairly certain its benefit comes from the natural saponins (soaps) in the juice of the stems and leaves. People once used it for poison ivy when there wasn't anything better to use. The juice needs to be fresh to function properly as a cleanser. Somewhere along the line people started to add this juice to lye-based soap and tout its benefits for skin. The longer I've looked into this, the more I'm not convinced a "jewelweed soap" even if made with North American jewelweed offers any greater benefit than the same soap made without the juice.

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=58850
http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?p=411546

 

[MickeyRat]

My relatives with teenagers swear this works great for acne.

1 Tbsp PPO activated charcoal
tea tree oil equal to 5% of the total oil weight

Both added at trace.

If nut allergies aren't a problem, using 5% tamanu oil in your recipe gives a good feel and may help with the acne as well.

I've never tried this in pine tar soap though. Between the pine tar and the tea tree oil, the smell might be overwhelming.

 

[SoaperForLife]

Can anyone enlighten me on what range of usage rates for the jewelweed I would put into a PT soap? I'd like to whip up a batch both with and without JW, and let it sit long enough to see if I can make some for the nephews in a year or so from now

Try infusing it into one of your oils and then use the oil. Cathy McGinnis from Soaping 101 did a video on this on Youtube. Not sure if this is the correct video but if not, she might refer to the one I'm talking about...

 

[Saltwater Scented]

Well, I nailed it on the first try. Did my recipe, hand mixed the hard/softs to emulsion at a little bit higher than room temp, and dropped in the pine tar.

Maybe about 10 swirls with the spatula and that tell-tale little dull greasy sheen popped up in one corner. Stopped stirring immediately, and it went right into the mold. Had to slow pour the last little bit not to overflow the mold but it went in perfectly and was thickening right there at the very end to a medium trace. I got a wee bit greedy and used the spatula to add in a little bit more that could've been smoothed into the mold but I didn't want to push the luck.

After a really really crappy week, this was at least one small victory.

 

[DeeAnna]

I make several batches a year of pine tar soap, and I almost never nail the exact right time to pour the batter into the mold -- I am soooo tempted to give it one more stir. PT is such a temperamental beast. Good for you that you succeeded!

 

[Saltwater Scented]

Update of some oddity with the PT soap. What's not odd, it has turned a deep dark chocolate brown, very close to what it looks like coming out of the can of PT.

What is odd...my cat of 19 years has taken to pooping under the table where this soap is curing. Not sure if that is his seal of approval, or ultimate disdain.